28 March 2012

The Simple Life...

...do you ever get fed up of cooking? I do...a strange thing to say for a foodie blogger type?? I don't think so...I think lots of us feel this way from time to time...

Sometimes I just feel as if I've 'had enough of food', of cooking and of eating...sometimes I crave simple dishes and meals, ones that require minimum effort, yet still use great ingredients.

Tonight was a bit like that! After the weekend of foodie heaven I just couldn't be bothered with anything rich or time consuming...so whilst at the supermarket I kept my eye open for ingredients that might take it upon themselves to tempt me!! Guess what they did!!!I knew I fancied a salad, but what to put with it?? And then I saw them, two perfect looking steaks...But alas, they were not a pair!! One was a ribeye, the other a sirloin...that would really screw with my need for symmetry in life!! (yes I know - my sis has likened me to Monica from friends on occasions)

But you know what? I bought them!! We were on for a taste test!! We like both...but usually go for sirloin as they are the most abundant in the supermarket...neither of us likes rump - or at least we can't remember having it very often?!? We both love fillet, but I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to cooking fillet...I just never seem to get it right!! Which leaves the ribeye, which we have enjoyed a couple of times before...

Our standard "Easy Steak and Salad" combo usually includes a baked potato...but we'd only had them on Sunday!!!...Aha!! New salad potatoes on offer...that was that...fate decreed...potato salad, steaks and salad...the ideal 'Simple, Speedy Supper'...

My Potato Salad is another of those throw it all together in 15mins kinda thing, and it changes depending on which ingredients are around on the day!! Today when I got home I discovered I had the potatoes, some mayonaise and spring onions...great, that would do me fine...so whilst putting the green salad together I boiled the potatoes until still a wee bit firm...drained them well, chopped them into chunky chunks...I don't like my potato salad to be small dice like some of those supermarket ones, I like a bit of a bite to mine...Then I popped them in a bowl with a knob of butter. Gave them a little bit of a roll around in the butter to coat them, and added in the mayo...a good dollop of the stuff!! Enough to cover the potatoes and then some more! Oh and yes, the potatoes were still warm, they absorb the flavours you add so much better if warm...Then I chopped the spring onions - two of them- finely and popped them in too...mixed it up and voila...super speedy potato salad...another twist to this would be adding salad cream (yes I know you either love or hate the stuff) and it tastes fab!! Red onions finely chopped are great as are chives...I also like a potato salad made with olive oil instead of the mayo...but last night was most definitely a mayo kinda night!!

The green salad I 'made' to go with it all was a mix of fresh peppery rocket and a herb salad...with baby leaves, parsley and coriander...on top of that I added: radishes, cucumber, orange pepper, celery and some mixed seeds for the 'crunch factor'...seasoned it, then on went some lovely Greek olive oil (thanks to my Mum and Dad) and balsamic vinegar...

Once all that was sorted, it was on to the steaks...we like ours medium-rare...or as close to that as I can get them...which means cooking them for about 4mins each side...more or less...I also use the firmness of the meat test...where you push down on it and compare to parts of your hand to see how well cooked it is...So a few minutes later the steaks were done, we had decided to halve them and try each one...to see which flavour was better...and the verdict...we liked both, but we thought the ribeye had a 'meatier' taste which was more flavoursome than the sirloin...Hubby even suggested trying a rump next time too...we will see...

Anyhow, not the normal recipe post from me tonight, but still, it's about the food I like to eat...and discovering tastes...xx

About Me and Contact Details

Hi, My name is Sara, and this blog is my way of giving something back...Its purpose is to share some of my favourite and well-loved recipes, and to take you on my learning journey as I stumble through the ins and outs of learning to sew!